Felidae—Cats

As a group, the cats are highly carnivorous, taking almost no plant material. This carnivory is
revealed in part by the highly sectorial nature of the teeth, lacking the crushing features seen,
for example, in the canids. All are relatively short-snouted and with the carnassial teeth close to
the jaw articulation; this configuration confers power to both the front of the jaw and to the
carnassial region. Tooth reduction has gone further in this family than in other carnivores (to 28
or 30 teeth total).

The living felids (and probably extinct forms as well) are stealth hunters, either stalking
their prey or lying in ambush until the prey is close enough for a lunge or for a short chase. In
line with these tactics, most modern species have spots or stripes that tend to blend into the
background and to break up the outline of the animal. None is adapted for long term cursorial activity. Division of prey among the different modern
taxa is largely on the basis of size.

The Felidae has long been abused by taxonomic splitters and lumpers. Some recent workers have
recognized as many as 18 modern genera, while others have recognized as few as two. We will follow
Wozencraft (2005), with five modern genera occurring within our region in addition to four extinct
genera.

Re-examination of the single specimen (a damaged astragalus) of small felid from the Sabertooth
Camel Maze site (not mapped) indicates that it is too small for Lynx, so appears to indicate
presence of a smaller, unidentified felid.

Felis sp.—Small Cat

These may or may not belong to the genus Felis—changes in usages of genera within the Felidae make it uncertain as to what genus was meant. The criterion for the Anza-Borrego form is "smaller than Lynx rufus".

†Felis/Lynx sp.—Cat or Bobcat

†Felis rexroadensis Stephens 1959—Rexroad Cat

Synonyms.Lynx rexroadensis, Felis lacustris. Kurtén and Anderson
(1980) listed this taxon as a synonym of Felis lacustris, but MacFadden and Galiano (1981)
note that F. lacustris is enough larger as to best be considered a separate species.

†Homotherium—Scimitar Cat

Kurtén and Anderson (1980:190) describe the dentition as follows:

In this genus, the sabers are relatively short, very flattened and recurved (like
a scimitar) and have razor-sharp, serrated edges fore and aft. The other teeth also have serrated
edges. The incisors are disposed in a curve. The carnassials are thin slicing blades.

†Miracinonyx trumani (Orr 1969)—American Cheetah-like Cat

Synonyms.Acinonyx trumani, Felis trumani, Puma trumani.

Orr (1969) described this species on the basis of a late Wisconsin (19,750 ± 650 ka) skull from
Crypt Cave, NV, as Felis trumani. Adams (1979) placed the New World cheetah-like cats in the
Old World genus Acinonyx, represented by A. jubatus (Cheetah), but in a new subgenus,
Miracinonyx. On the basis of new material, Van Valkenburgh et al. (1990) elevated
Miracinonyx to the generic level. Ancient DNA data (Barnett et al. 2005) confirms Puma
concolor as the sister species of M. trumani rather than A. jubatus.

"[Miracinonyx] is distinguished from other cats mainly by characters related to a
highly cursorial mode of predation, most clearly reflected in the extremely elongated and slim limb
bones, light body, and small head ...." (Kurtén and Anderson 1980:193).

There is one late Wisconsin record of the American Cheetah in our region. The material on which
this record is based hasn't been published.